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Post by 8rad on Jul 16, 2014 10:19:18 GMT -9
Thinking of getting one of these cutters, looking about the board the silhouette cameo looks to be the one to get. I have a number of little projects it would open up. I take it the idea is you print the graphic as normal then build a cutting file on the software before cutting out the graphics. Now what i don't get is the cutter going to cut a set area on your material or do you add something to the material telling the cutter where to cut?.
8r
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Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Jul 16, 2014 10:41:07 GMT -9
The Silhouette Cameo and Portrait I think primarily differ in the size of the cutting region. I think the Portrait is adequate for most cutting needs - it will do an 8.5x11 or A4 sized page just fine. The Cameo can do wider pages. They work with an optical sensor that reads in registration marks from the corner of the printed image. That aligns the cut head properly and it will be able to cut in the right place. If you don't do this, then it will cut, but will almost certainly not be lined up with the printed image. This is why you can't use something like the Cricut machine, which doesn't use registration marks. If you're looking to make your own cutfiles, the process typically is to create your PNG, import it into Silhouette Studio, draw your cutlines, set up your registration marks and print from the Studio software. If you're looking to SHARE your work, I'd recommend putting the registration marks into the actual printed image, and use exactly the same registration marks in your cutfile. That way, you can print from the PDF and then cut from the Studio software if you want. If you don't, it's a burden on the user to extract images from the PDF and line them up to print from the Studio software. Here's a link to some layers you can use if you make a multi-layered PDF: www.dropbox.com/s/l0mwc9arp5yn9yb/reg_mark_layers.zipNote that the older Silhouette machines use a different type of registration mark, so I've provided two layers for marks, and a sample studio file that should line up with those marks.
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Post by 8rad on Jul 16, 2014 11:46:06 GMT -9
Magic thanks for that mproteau, downloaded the studio software and have a bunch of yt vids to get up to speed. Looked at the portrait but think the cameo is the one for me, minis would be one use but looks really versatile. Cutfiles seem to have their own subculture.
8r
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Post by 8rad on Jul 30, 2014 12:14:13 GMT -9
So got the portrait in the end lol, making my first file to cut a mini out. Put the graphics on traced round and off set the cut line and added registration marks. So good so far. Now I cry out for help again, what im stuck on how do make a pdf that will cutout without the .studio file or do i need the studio file for it to work. also will the cutter cut out any other file other than studio ?.
8r
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Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Jul 30, 2014 12:23:46 GMT -9
You always need a .studio file. That's the instructions to the cutter for where to send the blade. Typically you design your PDFs to print with the correct registration marks, then you have a corresponding .studio file that uses the same registration marks. You print the PDF, load it into the cutter, and tell the Studio software to use the .studio file to go and cut it. Are you doing this to share with others? Or just for yourself? If it's just for yourself, you can skip making a PDF and just save the .studio file with the graphics in it. You can print right from the Studio sofware, then load into the cutter and cut.
If you're looking to share with the community at large, be aware there are new (Cameo/Portrait) registration marks, and older (SD) registration marks. One way to handle this is to make a multi-layered PDF file, with optional layers for the registration marks. Alternatively, you can have single-layered PDFs, and just have a set that is Cameo-compatible, and a set that is SD-compatible. A pox on the Silhouette folks that decided to not make the registration marks backwards/forwards compatible.
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Post by 8rad on Jul 30, 2014 12:46:18 GMT -9
You always need a .studio file. That's the instructions to the cutter for where to send the blade. Typically you design your PDFs to print with the correct registration marks, then you have a corresponding .studio file that uses the same registration marks. You print the PDF, load it into the cutter, and tell the Studio software to use the .studio file to go and cut it. Are you doing this to share with others? Or just for yourself? If it's just for yourself, you can skip making a PDF and just save the .studio file with the graphics in it. You can print right from the Studio sofware, then load into the cutter and cut. If you're looking to share with the community at large, be aware there are new (Cameo/Portrait) registration marks, and older (SD) registration marks. One way to handle this is to make a multi-layered PDF file, with optional layers for the registration marks. Alternatively, you can have single-layered PDFs, and just have a set that is Cameo-compatible, and a set that is SD-compatible. A pox on the Silhouette folks that decided to not make the registration marks backwards/forwards compatible. I see thanks for that, would always to be to share but will try both ways. So three things to consider would be the pdf, registration mark(s) and the .studio file. Trying my first cut tomorrow, expecting a learning curve =). 8r
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